Brick-and-Mortar Strong
Astoria Bookshop
31-29 31ST ST., ASTORIA
ASTORIABOOKSHOP.COM
People’s choices in books refl ect
the times, and Astoria Bookshop has
been keeping up. The store has been
supplying people with books about
plagues, systematic racism and collective
action, said owner Lexi Beach.
It has always had an online presence,
but now social media is crucial
for communicating with customers,
she said. Open since 2013, Astoria
Bookshop not only sells books for all
BY DANIELLE BRODY
@DLB1022
ages and interests, but it also regularly
hosts in-person community programs
like book launches and story time.
These public events have moved to Instagram,
14 NOVEMBER 2 0 2 0
YouTube and Facebook Live,
and those that require pre-registration
are on Crowdcast.
About 90 percent of sales are coming
through its e-commerce platform,
and many customers order over the
phone, Beach said. Booksellers are offering
recommendations via Google
Hangout or Instagram DM, which is
new for the store. It has an active presence
on Instagram and Twitter, shares
updates on its newsletter and posts
longer thoughts on its blog.
The shop closed for six weeks and
reopened to staff in May. Customers
still can’t go inside — they must either
order books for delivery or pick up
purchases by appointment. Beach said
that Astoria Bookshop is working out
the details for private browsing by appointment.
“The message we hope people remember
is that if they continue to
spend a little money at the places they
love, there will be a day in the future
where they can once again spend an
afternoon with us, as well,” Beach said.
She appreciates the community
supporting the store. The last couple
of weeks of March “were among the
busiest days we ever had,” as people
stocked up on books and jigsaw puzzles.
Since then, customers have been
ordering and watching events from all
over — even Puerto Rico.
EXPLORE YOUR BORO
During challenging times, brick-and-mortar establishments are doing their best to pivot, update policies
to stay safe and continue serving their communities. As many of our lives have gone virtual in the past few
months, these establishments are fi guring out how to balance their physical space with a digital presence to
be there for their customers. Here’s how fi ve local stores and venues have shifted operations since March.
Photo by Landon Vonderschmidt
Photos by Christian Vega
/ASTORIABOOKSHOP.COM
/ASTORIABOOKSHOP.COM
